REVEALED: How much Manchester United and their players will lose financially if they fail to beat Ajax
Manchester United and their players risk a huge financial loss if they fail to qualify for Champions League next season.
Manchester United’s players have an incredible £38million resting on their UEFA Europa League final against Ajax next week.
Under the pay structure at Old Trafford, which assumes that United qualify for the Champions League every season, all players on more than £20,000 a week are docked 25 percent of their salary if they fail to make it.
So another season in the Europa League, the fate of Jose Mourinho’s side if they lose to Ajax in the Stockholm final next Wednesday, would see them lose a quarter of their earnings for the second consecutive season.
The four United signings made last summer after Jose Mourinho took over – Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – also stand to lose £9m under the same structure.
In addition, a loss to the Dutch side would see United’s players lose out on a £1m shared bonus under the club’s performance incentive scheme, making £38m collectively.
Paul Pogba and his United team-mates will also miss out on a £1m bonus if they lose to Ajax
Two players who are exempt from the pay cut are youngsters Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe, who earn less than £20,000 a week.
As well as losing out on the lucrative revenue that comes with playing in the Champions League, a failure to qualify would also affect United’s sponsorship deal with adidas.
A clause in their £75m-a-season contract with the sportswear giant stipulates a 30 percent cut – worth around £22.5m – if they fail to make the Champions League for two consecutive seasons.
